1. Field
The invention is in the general field of work tables and cabinets and is specifically concerned with table structure for types of sewing machines that must be supported below table top level if their normal working surfaces are to be coplanar with their table top.
2. State of the Art
Various special work tables and cabinets for sewing machines have been developed in the past to enable an open-arm type of sewing machine to be supported either in open-arm work position or in normal work position. For example, Devey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,237 discloses a sewing machine table having two table tops, one of which is movable in relation to the other, so that an open-arm sewing machine resting on the stationary top can be accommodated in either conventional or open-arm working position by moving the second table top.
In some instances it is desirable to have both table tops coplanar, so that the table can be used for purposes other than holding a sewing machine. Blevins U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,037 shows such a table, having a top section that can be raised from a coplanar position with respect to a stationary top section. However, the table currently made under the Blevins patent has a secondary support in the nature of an additional table under the two table top sections to give such sections stability in the coplanar position.
Roberts et al. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,835 discloses a sewing machine cabinet wherein a drop mount for a sewing machine is provided in the cabinet below an apertured top of the cabinet. The drop mount raises or lowers a sewing machine thereon in relation to the top of the cabinet so the machine may be used in normal or in open-arm positions. The drop mount in such cabinet, however, does not rise to a position in which its surface is coplanar with the top of the cabinet, and it is attached to and supported on a lower shelf or similar panel support.
There is still need for a sturdy sewing machine table which can accommodate an open-arm sewing machine in both normal and open-arm working positions, which forms a flat and level table surface when the sewing machine is removed therefrom so that the table may be used for other purposes, and which can be produced at low cost.